Backstage
by Ironfoot
Summary: Returning from a long winded journey, a plumber catches word that his girlfriend is captured by a large turtle inside of her own castle. Written April 2007.


_This was written around April 2007. I have no plans to update this, just unloading my files of short and/or incomplete fics._

* * *

Gasps of anger echoed the sounds of loud footfalls on the pavement. He never thought that such a day would arise, never thought that such treachery would forever break the ties that they once had. They trusted each other even before all of this began, at least it was assumed. The pain that he now endured would not go away until his deed was done.

The blistering sun scorched his back, reminding him of the days of summer, but it also kept his mind on his one, simple goal. A Toad guard lay just ahead, marking the border of the inner Mushroom Kingdom. High rise buildings could be seen ahead, at least as high as the little toad folk would allow before they succumbed to their fear of heights. The guard concealed no weapon, as it was custom around these regions of "peace, love and prosperity," as the doll of a princess so loved to preach.

He stopped suddenly as the toad looked on at him with a questioning look, but the man's thoughts were elseware. He realized that he had traveled this far without any food or water, let alone hardly any sleep, and now he was starting to feel its affects. The sweat dripping onto the ground only confirmed that. Blind madness does that to anybody, he realized.

He first heard of the news when vacationing in Yoshi's Island, which recently opened up a new casino resort. Loving the sensualities, he thought about her, back at the castle, the place where she said she was going to be for the next 3 days. Then he got the news that he didn't want to hear. Sure, he had been suspecting it for months, but a man's ideal fantasy can keep him blind forever, if he let it.

"Excuse me," the toad guard walked up to the man. "Are you alright? You look like you're about to collapse! Here, I have some water-"

His life felt like his life had already collapsed. How appropriate.

"No." the man grunted. The toad looked up at him in surprise. "It must be fulfilled. I must see Princess Peach immediately."

"C-certainly. S-s-she's just u-up the road." The toad was visibly shaken, and the man didn't blame him. He really didn't want to know how he looked in the mirror right about now.

As the man continued along his path without so much as a thank you, the toad suddenly realized something. "Wait, was that…?" But he shook his head, dismissing the idea. "It couldn't be."

* * *

Gasps of fear and wonder escaped the mouths who beheld the spectacle, for in all their years as proprietary citizens of the Mushroom Kingdom, they never thought the thought that this day would come into fruition. They let the man in overalls trudge on his path to destiny, but couldn't help themselves but follow him in bewilderment, as easily influenced as they were. Soon an entire gathering followed him through Mushroom City, each intuitively knowing the man's final destination.

As he trudged up the steps leading to Peach's Castle, the crowd suddenly stopped at the head of the stairway, afraid to touch even a foot of royal property.

Tightening his fist, he stepped inside.

Amid the ungodly screams from the tallest tower of the castle were about a dozen worried toads walking this way and that, with others talking to themselves. This soon changed as they all noticed the door slam behind the man, who now steadily walked forward. The man studied their faces, some with concerned looks and others looking frightened. One particularly old toad with a beard however, kept his reserved demeanor and approached him.

Before he could say a word, piercing screams came down from Peach's Tower. "Her royal highness has asked not to-"

"He's here." Interjected the man. "Why was he allowed in? Don't we usually alert the kingdom of an invasion?"

The old toad raised an eyebrow. "He has always been allowed in."

The man breathed in heavily. There was obviously another plot at work that he was unaware of. This was not like him. If times were normal, he and his brother would be kicking the royal king's ass, but this time, it appeared that the problem was at his very doorstep.

Then, the man had an idea.

"Are they being held hostage?"

The old toad chuckled to himself. "When he came in, he mentioned part of the plan to me and I said that I had no objections."

"Then just know," the man began as he headed towards the stair to the tower, "that my girlfriend is in that room, and things are about to get very ugly."


End file.
